Dolichomitus Smith, 1877

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique, 2022, Darwin wasps of the subfamily Pimplinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Mexico: Ephialtes genus-group, Zootaxa 5169 (3), pp. 201-251 : 214-215

Genus Dolichomitus Smith, 1877

Dolichomitus Smith 1877: 411 .

Type species: Dolichomitus longicauda Smith, 1877 , by monotypy.

Synonyms:

Closterocerus Hartig, 1847 (name preoccupied by Westwood, 1833).

Diclosterocerus Viereck, 1914 (new name for Closterocerus Hartig, 1847 ).

Exeristoidea Viereck, 1924 .

Mesoephialtes Schmiedeknecht, 1906 .

Tuberculephialtes Ozols, 1962 .

References. Morley 1914: 9 [ Closteroceros (sic!); remarks], 13 [ Dolichomitus ; remarks]. Townes & Townes 1960: 111 [revision of 19 species (7 described as new) from America north of Mexico; key]. Townes & Townes 1966: 12 [catalogue; 7 species and subspecies in Neotropical region; 4 species in Mexico]. Townes 1969: 81 [description; distribution]. Townes 1975 [2 new species from Peru]. Gauld 1991: 205 [review of 6 species (3 described as new) from Costa Rica; key]. Gauld et al. 1998: 23 [8 species (2 described as new) in Costa Rica; key]. Ruíz-Cancino et al. 2002: 645 [checklist; 4 species in Mexico]. Gauld et al. 2002: 35 [review of 4 species from El Salvador; key]. Zwakhals 2010 [revision of Western Palaearctic species (3 described as new); key]. Loffredo & Penteado-Dias 2012 [2 new species from Brazil]. Matsumoto 2018 [1 new species from Japan]. Araujo et al. 2020 [5 new species from Colombia; key to 13 South American species]. DiGiovanni et al. 2021 [1 new species from Ecuador].

Dolichomitus is a predominantly Holarctic genus that includes about 80 species in the Holarctic, Neotropical and Oriental regions; several species were introduced into South Africa and New Zealand. In the New World, 20 species occur in the Nearctic region (nine of them also occur in the Palaearctic region), one species is known only from Cuba ( Ashmead 1900c: 352; Portuondo-Ferrer et al. 2004: 125), eight species occur in Central America and 14 species in South America.

Four species of Dolichomitus are known to occur in Mexico, of them one species is Nearctic, two are Neotropical, and one has a range extending from Canada to Costa Rica.

Species of Dolichomitus are known as ectoparasitods of larvae of xylophagous insects. Most host records are from the coleopteran family Cerambycidae , also known from the families Curculionidae , Melandryidae , Scolytidae , Synchroidae (Coleoptera) , Sesiidae (Lepidoptera) and Xiphydriidae (Hymenoptera) .

Key to species of Dolichomitus occurring in Mexico

1. Hind coxa black ( Figs 22, 25 ). Mesosoma completely black ( Figs 22, 25 ). Mid coxa of male with two strong tubercles on its outer side ( Fig. 26 ). [Fore and mid coxae black in female ( Fig. 22 ) and whitish in male ( Fig. 25 ). Metasoma dark red to blackish ( Figs 22, 25 ). Lobe of lower valve of ovipositor with five teeth ( Fig. 24 ).].................... 3. D. irritator (Fabricius)

- Hind coxa yellow or reddish brown, sometimes with black markings ( Figs 19, 21 ). Mesosoma not completely black, at least upper margin of pronotum white ( Figs 19, 21 ). Male with mid coxa without tubercles or with two weak tubercles........ 2

2. Body predominantly black, partly dark red, pronotum laterally with white stripe along its upper margin ( Figs 18, 19 ). Submetapleural carina incomplete, present as a short tubercle anteriorly ( Fig. 19 ). [Mid coxa of male without tubercles on its outer side.].................................................................... 2. D. dolichosoma (Viereck)

- Body yellow with black or reddish brown markings ( Fig. 20 ); mesosoma yellow and black ( Fig. 21 ). Submetapleural carina at least distinct on anterior 0.8 of metapleuron ( Fig. 21 )........................................................ 3

3. Female............................................................................................. 4

- Male............................................................................................... 5

4. Propodeum dorsally with central smooth area strongly and evenly broadened posteriorly so that near hind margin it is more than twice as broad as it is anteriorly, generally with this area partly to completely black and the slightly raised part lateral to it yellow. Hind wing with nervellus intercepted in or slightly below its middle.............. 1. D. annulicornis (Cameron)

- Propodeum dorsally with central smooth area only slightly expanded posteriorly so that near hind margin it is less than twice as broad as it is anteriorly, generally with this area black, but with parallel black stripes on the slightly raised, yellow, lateral part. Hind wing with nervellus intercepted distinctly above its middle ( Fig. 21 )...................... 4. D. zonatus (Cresson)

5. Outer side of mid coxa bearing two strongly raised prominences. Tergites 2–4 of metasoma with apical yellow band narrow, less than half of segment length................................................. 1. D. annulicornis (Cameron)

- Outer side of mid coxa with a weak basal prominence, centrally barely raised. Tergites 2–4 of metasoma with apical yellow band broad, more than half of segment length ( Fig. 20 )..................................... 4. D. zonatus (Cresson)

Figures

FIGURES 22–26. Dolichomitus irritator, ♀ from Hidalgo (22–24), ♂ from Tamaulipas (25, 26): 22, 25—habitus, lateral; 23—head, front; 24—apex of ovipositor, lateral; 26—mid coxa, posterior.

FIGURES 18–21. Dolichomitus dolichosoma, ♀ (Tamaulipas): 18—body, lateral; 19—mesosoma and base of metasoma, lateral. Dolichomitus zonatus, ♂ (Veracruz): 20—habitus, lateral; 21—mesosoma, dorso-lateral.